Small Business ShowsThe Small Business ShowSynergies Work announces 1st ever EDDIE Award Winner — Aarti Sahgal &...

Synergies Work announces 1st ever EDDIE Award Winner — Aarti Sahgal & Vanessa Castañeda Gill

 

Synergies Work recently hosted its inaugural EDDIE Awards–which is the first award in the U.S. spotlighting entrepreneurs with disabilities. The EDDIE Awards stands for “Entrepreneurs Dedicated to Diverse and Inclusive Excellence.”  On today’s Small Business Show,  we’re pleased to welcome back Aarti Sahgal, Founder of Synergies Work Inc., and Vanessa Castañeda Gill, CEO & Co-Founder of Social Cipher and the winner of this year’s EDDIE Awards.

Synergies Work is the largest platform space for entrepreneurs with disabilities to receive the resources they need to succeed in the entrepreneurial landscape. 

The EDDIE Award is a celebration not only of entrepreneurship but a celebration of disability. 

"I firmly believe anyone identifying as disabled already has an edge over other entrepreneurs."

Sahgal states, “Everyone at Synergies Work believes the innovation merely is the DNA of the disability community.” The businesses’ buzzwords are predominant within the disabled community- since they are the ones who get up with the growth mindset daily. Primarily since they work in an environment that isn’t designed for them. The EDDIE Awards had a national call for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Synergies received more than 100 applications in the five categories:

  1. Technology 
  2. Social Impact 
  3. Brick and motor businesses 
  4. New entrepreneurs
  5. Creativity 

EDDIE is being utilized to bridge the gap between the business community and the different types of entrepreneurs, like those with disabilities. 

The Winner:

This year’s first EDDIE Award recipient is Vanessa Castaneda, CEO and co-founder of Social Cipher- A social and emotional gaming software for neurodiverse youth with neurological differences like ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, or anyone who may process the world differently. The company makes space pirate adventure games to better assist them in understanding themselves. While also helping teachers and counselors better understand their youths’ social and emotional well-being.  

Castaneda developed the platform through her own experience of being diagnosed with ADHD and autism at the age of 14. Castaneda asserts how she struggled with the stereotypes around autism and not being represented in media or grasping any support for her challenges. However, finding a community and understanding neuroscience helped build her confidence and led her to discover the EDDIE Award application. 


ASBN Small Business NetworkASBN, from startup to success, we are your go-to resource for small business news, expert advice, information, and event coverage.

While you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe to our email newsletter for all the latest business news know-how from ASBN.

Jaelyn Campbell
Jaelyn Campbell
Jaelyn Campbell is a staff writer/reporter for ASBN. She is a recent honors cum laude graduate with a BFA in Mass Media from Valdosta State University. Jaelyn is an enthusiastic creator with more than four years of experience in corporate communications, editing, broadcasting, and writing. Her articles in The Spectator, her hometown newspaper, changed how people perceive virtual reality. She connects her readers to the facts while providing them a voice to understand the challenges of being an entrepreneur in the digital world.

Related Articles

Confero, Inc. named America’s Top Small Business 2024 by U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Confero, Inc., a customer experience research provider based in Cary, North Carolina, has been named America’s Top Small Business 2024 by the U.S. Chamber...